Samurai-sword wielding Belfast man arrested, charged with assault

BELFAST, Maine — A local man accused of assaulting someone with a samurai sword was arrested Wednesday night and is being held in jail on $25,000 cash bail.

Anthony Roderick, 22, of Miller Street, allegedly was aiming to quell an argument between another man and his girlfriend during a May 28 party.

Roderick tried to remove the other man from the party, according to a Belfast Police Department official, and the two men wrestled to the ground. Roderick is reported to have grabbed the man by the neck, bitten him and scratched him, before somehow obtaining a broken samurai sword and jabbing it at the other man.

The victim had a superficial stab wound on his stomach after the alleged sword attack, according to Detective Sergeant Bryan Cunningham. Photos also showed substantial scratch marks on his neck and a bite mark on his finger.

The victim was treated and released from Waldo County General Hospital.

According to Cunningham, it took some time to obtain an arrest warrant, but an officer served Roderick with it Wednesday night.

He was charged with assault, aggravated assault — a Class B felony — and criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon. The most serious Class B charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

Roderick is being held at Waldo County Jail with bail set at $25,000 surety or $10,000 cash.